CheckMate: The Effect of Playing Chess on Spatial Cognition

Overview

Objectives/Goals The objective of this experiment was to determine if spatial cognition is affected by playing chess, gender, and grade level. Methods/Materials In my experiment, I used an online, 16-question spatial reasoning test. I tested a total of 138 students -- 41 sixth grade students, 49 seventh grade students, and 48 eighth grade students. Within each grade level, the students were divided into two groups: the control group, composed of students who did not play chess, and the test group, consisting of students who self-reported that they were active chess players. Each student took the untimed test individually in a quiet setting. Results I found that the eighth grade chess group performed 15.35% better than the eighth grade non-chess group, that the seventh grade chess group 17.5% better than the seventh grade non-chess group, and that the sixth grade chess group performed 1% better than the sixth grade non-chess group. Looking solely at the student#s grade levels, I found that the eighth grade chess group had the highest average score on the spatial reasoning exam. This group scored 5.3% higher than seventh grade chess group, and the seventh grade chess group scored 9.2% higher than the sixth grade chess group. Similarly, the eighth grade non-chess group performed 8.15% better than seventh grade non-chess group, but only 0.85% better than sixth grade non-chess group. Surprisingly, the non-chess group of sixth grade students performed better on the assessment than the non-chess group of seventh graders. Furthermore, the male students performed better than the female students. The chess playing female students scored 8.4% lower on the exam than their male counterparts, and the non-chess playing females scored 6.6% less than the control group males. Conclusions/Discussion My test results demonstrated that students who play chess have measurably greater spatial ability than those who do not play chess. I also found that as the students# grade levels increased, their scores did as well. Lastly, I discovered that the average male test subject performed better than the average female test subject. The data from this project can be directly translated into school curriculum; schools can add chess electives to their course selections at the elementary school and junior high levels, improving student#s spatial abilities, their abilities to comprehend new and abstract concepts, and solve problems.

Competition history

• CSEF 2015 Cognitive Science (Junior Division Only) · Entry J0725

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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